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History of Orange County
Towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh and Chester
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Goshen.-The lands in the vicinity of this village must have been settled shortly after the locations made by Christopher Denn and Daniel Cromline, possibly earlier than that of the last, but at what time exactly we cannot state. We have seen deeds for lots in the village dated as early as 1714. The deed of trust from John Everett, John Carpenter and others, to John Yelverton, previously recited, is dated July 10, 1721, and states "that the owners of Wawayanda had lately made a conveyance to John Everett and Samuel Clows of 1-6 part of all said lands, to the intent that a township should be taken up and laid out, and 10 acres for highways and for settling a minister, and that a township had been laid out,
The dates of these several deeds and the number of persons named, with the objects declared therein, and accomplished thereby, are not conclusive as to the time of settlement. Many of those persons, even at the date of the deed of 1721, may have lived at this locality, for the Goshen congregation was formed, Church organized and minister (Rev. John Bradner) settled as early as 1721; but who they were particularly, we are not informed. Whoever they may have been, and what the time of settlement, it is beyond all question that John Everett, John Carpenter, John Gale, William Ludlum, James Jackson, Isaac Finch, Solomon Carpenter, Michael Dunning, William Jackson, Samuel Seely, Samuel Webb, John Yelverton, Samuel Clows, John Bradner, John Denton, were among the first at this locality and vicinity, many of whose names and family descendents are still very numerous in the town at large.
The Strongs, Waters, Thorns, Wilkins, Wickhams, Swezies, Colemans, Hortons, Reeves, Cases, Dobbins, Howells, came in afterwards.
Spofford, in his Gazetteer, states that Goshen was settled as early as 1703. This we think is an error, and that he mistook the date of the patent for that of the settlement, or inferred that it was settled as soon as the grant was made.- All tradition unite in saying that Denn was the first settler in this region of country, and that was not till 1712.
We have been told that the ridge of land on which the Bank now stands, was first cleared and settled by Michael Dunning, Solomon Carpenter and John Everett, and that they came from Connecticut.
The first tavern in the place is said to have been on this ridge, and kept by Birdsey Yarrington, and that the first hogshead of rum taken to Goshen was brought from New York by, Capt. Jackson to New Windsor, and taken from there on a kind of drag.
Samuel Clows came to the vicinity of the village in consequence of being an agent for the owners of Wawayanda, and resided on the farm now owned by Mr. James Cooper Reeve. John Yelverton above named, came to the county very early from England, and resided a part of the time in Goshen and a part in New Windsor, where he owned a sloop and traded to New York. His will is dated 1760, and James Jackson, John Monell and Alexander Steel were the witnesses, at which time he lived at New Windsor.
The land east of and embracing what is now called Golden Hill, was settled by an individual by the name of L'Homidieu, and it was afterwards owned by Joseph Coleman, the father of Nathan. This family came from Long Island.
Silas Horton was next north on a farm after wards owned by his son Matthias, and afterwards by his son Gabriel.